Predict your own death
by Puddles21
Summary: Albus Dumbledore is in 7th year and decides rather than making up his divination assignment as usual he will travel through time to find the answers, will someone named Albus Severus be able to help him? Who else will he meet in time? DH spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 – ALBUS' ASSIGNMENT

"Predict your own death, using any Divinitation method you choose" Pahh! The final NEWT level divinitation assignment was typical of the whole subject through Albus Dumbldore, melodramatic and fuzzy. His younger brother had bet him that he could not achieve a O in all thirteen NEWT level subject offered at Hogwarts. It had not occurred to Albus as they shook on the ten galleon bet that this would mean he would have to not only take divination classes but possibly even listen in them.

Albus had been using a time turner to take almost twice the normal class load for five years five years now. He had adjusted to days that lasted up to thirty hours, and the student body had stopped questioning how it was that Albus seemed to be everywhere at once. He had never really thought there would be an assignment he could not do, but NEWT level divitation was making him rethink this statement.

There was a week left before Christmas holidays and all other students were furiously busy trying to complete assignments that Albus had breezed through. His relaxed attitude had infuriate his fellow Griffindores. When he had charmed the armchairs to sing a version of his favourite opera to amuse himself it has been the final straw for his fellow Head Girl, who told him in no uncertain terms not to leave the common room and go somewhere that was not the library and would not interrupt students who were required to study for their NEWTs.

He supposed their stress was normal after all there are not called Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test for nothing. But for Albus, the results for most of his NEWTs seemed like a foregone conclusion; after all he had spent more time showing new spells to his Transfiguration Professor lately than actually learning anything.

NEWTs were easy for Albus, except for divinitation. He could just make something up, Merlin knew he had imagination enough to get him through the last six years of divination exams. But after meeting Cassandra Trelawney, who truly had the Sight, he felt slightly guilty about the causal way he had mocked her subject. There had to be a way to see the future without actually being able to "See" he mussed, and as he did so his eye caught on the silverly chain of the time turner, hanging out from his robes…

The stipulation controlling the use of time tuners is very strict, and wizards who mess with time have met with very sticky ends. Physically travelling into the future did not seem like a good idea. Also it would be difficult to know when and where to travel to for information about his death, and it seemed very rude to start pulling witches and wizards from time at random for an assignment. There had to be a way to observe the passage of time, and pick the time and the people to meet, although he did not know if it could be done and it had certainly never been done before. Sudenly Albus Dumbledore had a project for the holidays.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2 – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF ALBUS SEVERUS

It has taken his full attention for a week, but Albus Dumbledore had finally succeeded in creating a series of Charms that would remove one of the Hogwarts broom cupboards from the normal stream of time.

A broom cupboard was a good choice as they were usually empty, didn't change much over the years and any future students he met in them were unlikely to be the sort to tell a teacher, as they would probably be up to something themselves. Albus had chosen a cupboard on the third floor, fairly close to the Griffindore Common room, he had considered a cupboard close to Ravenclaw as they were more likely to remember obscure bits of history and know how he died. But it would be much more fun to meet his fellow Griffindores.

As Albus entered the cupboard more excited that he had been before his best pranks. This wasn't just about fooling the Divination professor anymore; it was a prank on the whole of history.

Albus had been watched the broom closet for two days, people, mostly couples, had popped in a variety of time periods in the future. There was no timeline to the way people appeared in the cupboard, so couples from different time periods could appear right after each other. Albus could only guess which people came from similar times based on in changes in clothes and hairstyles.

As an advance piece of charm work the cupboard was an admirable success, however as a tool for predicting the future it was proving less useful.

Most people in the broom cupboard were not in there to talk, and even when they did the whispering of lovers gave very little insight into the wider world. Just as Albus was about to give up in frustration a girl, with flaming red hair burst into the cupboard.

HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.

"Lil are you planning to hide in a broom closet again"

Lily Fredericka Potter was NOT hiding. She was pausing; regrouping. She had just had an awful Potions lesson with the Slytherins and now it was directly followed by double transfiguration with them as well. If Venus Zambini made one more "Potter Family Cemetery" crack she was going to lose it. Ever since the Slytherin Princess had figured out that Lily and her two brothers were each named after two people who had died in the war, Venus had not let up. Lily was proud of being named in memory of her Grandmother and Uncle, but Venus was constantly making jokes about her and her brother were the 'replacements' and that their father was looking into getting RIP tattooed on their heads. Today for instance she Venus and two thickset Slytherin boys had tried to attach a sign that read "Lily Potter 31st October 1981 Rest in Peace" to her robes with a permeant sticking charm. And when Neville…Sorry Professor Longbottom had walked in on the tussle for the sign he had given them all detention, even Lily, without even looking at the sign. So Lily needed to calm down.

"Lil…" her brother's voice sounded from the other side of the door

"I am regrouping not hiding for your information Al, I don't hide from anyone, especially not a bitch like Venus" she snapped as opened the door for her brother and pulled him out of the way of streams of students rushing along the corridor between classes, and shutting the door.

"If you regroup much longer you will be late for Transfiguration"

"Venus is a twit, and seeing as I have to put up with her, and no doubt a running commentary on how everyone in our family dies, for the next two hours, I need a quick break"

"Don't let them get to you Lil, I know its hard, I cant count the number of times someone has made a "named after two headmasters" crack at me. I'm thinking of applying to have it put on the family list of banned clichés" Al joked

"Do you really think 'named after two headmasters' can compete with trusted favourites such as 'the boy who…' and 'he who must not…' and 'he has his mothers eyes' Al?"

"OK maybe not those clichés, but for annoyingness factor I think it could give 'the golden trio' a run for its money"

Al's tone was gentle, despite his annoyance. Of all the Potter children, Al had always had the most media attention and the most recognition as 'Harry Potters Son.' It was partly because he was the only one who really looked like Harry, and partly because he was named after Severus Snape. Harry had never explained to the media the details of Severus Snapes role in the second war, only that he had died a hero's death fighting for the side of light. People had been known to approach Al in the street and demand to know why he was named after Severus Snape. It had bothered Al a lot when he was younger, but now, in his seventh year, he accepted the wizarding worlds over interest in him with a quiet tolerance.

"Just be glad you name is Albus, Mum and Dad could have decide to give you one of Dumbledore's middle names, you could be 'Wulfric Potter' or 'Percival Potter" teased Lil, making Al smile.

The three of them had always protected each other, and made each other smile when they were feeling sad or overwhelmed. Although they had, at last count, 14 Weasley cousins, no one but James, Al and Lil had ever felt the pressure of being the children of Harry Potter, hero and Ginny Potter, quidditch star.

"Humph…well if your feeling so cheery no more 'regrouping' or you will be late for class," said Al followed by a sharp poke to her ribs

"Ouch..Prat" said Lily rubbing her side "Actually I won't be late, see this is not just any old broom closet, I don't think time passes normally in here"

Her brother raised one eyebrow.

"Watch carefully" and she rapidly opened the door almost squashing a Griffindor first year girl with long black braids. After mumbling an apology she shut the door and turned to look at her brother.

"What are you doing, I have to get to Charms, I just wanted to check you were OK," he said as he pushed past her and opened the door onto the girls with the black braids again.

"Are you OK?"

"Fine" she mumbled rubbing her head

"Twice in one minute that's bad luck, why did you double past the door anyhow?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well Lily open the door on you and then I did straight afterwards, are you sure your OK, if you cant remember things maybe we should take you to the hospital wing"

"I'm fine, I can remember everything, but I still have no idea what you are talking about" she said " gotta go of I'll be late for DADA"

"What was that all about?" Al mumbled

"That what I have been trying to tell you, time doesn't pass in the Cupboard, when you opened in the second time she hadn't walked past the door because it was still the same time for her. The first time I was in this cupboard I got a little bit distracted and thought I had missed dinner…"

"Distracted…do I really need to here how and why you came to be DISTRACTED in a broom closet. Who was in here "distracting" my baby sister?"

"Al, back off, leave the protective older brother job to James OK?"

'Humph"

"Anyhow… When on the way down to the Great Hall I ran into Hugo who had only just come out of Potions, and he had a good laugh about how we always say Weasleys have big appetites, when I am starving for dinner when it was only just five O'clock. At first I though my watch was broken but I am beginning to think it is this cupboard."

"Do you seriously think there are time travelling broom closets at Hogwarts, Lil?"

"Not time travel exactly…"

Albus opened the door again and narrowly missed hitting the girls with the braids for a third time "Ahhh…I give up, just don't miss Transfiguration Lily OK, if your late Teddy wont hesitate to give you detention?"

It was Teddy Lupins first year teaching transfiguration and after being accused of favouritism towards the Weasleys and the Potters in his first week, he was trying to prove how fair he was by giving Lil and all her cousins as many detentions as possible.

"Sure Al, see you later"

Just as Al, turned to grab his bag and get to Charms, he saw a boy with long Auburn hair and half moon shaped glasses appear out of thin air.

Having lived around magic all his life Al knew this did not normally happen, people who apperated made a noise he would have heard it the quite cupboard. This person had not appeared with a pop but had faded into view, reminding Al of the Cheshire Cat in that crazy muggle story his dad had read him as a kid. Besides surely Aunt Hermione had mentioned something about not being able to apperate at Hogwarts.

Albus Dumbledore lifted the charms that were had kept him invisible and out of the way for the couples who had previously been in the cupboard and prepared to find out about his future.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry all for huge the delay in this chapter. Writing this chapter made me tear my hair out several times, I still don't really like it but what the hey. I think I need a beta, so let me know if your keen for the job

P.S. characters all borrowed from Jo, and written just for fun, no copyright infringement intended.

CHAPTER 3 – THE MYSTERY OF HISTORY

Al had grown up hearing endless stories about Albus Dumbledore. In fact he was a little disappointed to meet this 17 year old version, who appeared to talk quite normally, and although he had bright blue eyes, they didn't really sparkle all that much. It short this person appeared to be a normal teenager.

The stories his family told of his namesake had made him seem mythical, more that human. It was hard to imagine the old man in the fantastic stories could possibly be this normal looking 17 year old.

Realistically, even at 17, Albus Dumbledore's appearance could not be described as normal. His red hair fell to just above his shoulders and was matched with a long bright red beard, well on its' way to reaching his belt. However, Al Potter had grown up surrounded by excentric red heads and his perception of normal was fairly wide.

As Al shook hands with the stranger, who claimed to be Dumbledore, it occurred to him that his father would strongly disapprove of greeting strangers who appear where they shouldn't be in mysterious circumstances.

Whenever Al complained about his fathers paranoia, his mum always told him that what appeared to be paranoia in times of peace had been normal practice for a long time during the war. The War. Two words which had a big impact on Al growing up.

Growing up in a family of war veterans was a strange experience. He had once heard one of his Aunts describe the war as the elephant in the room that everyone ignores. And it often felt like that, there was this huge thing in the living room of the Burrow that effected the way adults acted and what they talked about, even though it was rarely mentioned directly.

When she was about 15 Rose Granger-Weasley had gotten interested in muggle psychology, and had spent the whole summer diagnosing her parents and family with post-traumatic stress disorder. Al knew both his parents still suffered from nightmares occasionally, and it was never a good idea to wake his Uncle Bill if he fell asleep on the couch, unless you wanted a wand in your face.

When staying at the Burrow, everyone had to leave notes telling Grandma Molly if they were going further that the garden, she had been known to panic when she didn't know where her grandchildren were, even if they had only gone as far as the Quidditch Pitch behind the garden.

Then, of course, there was Holey Uncle George; who when he got going telling a good story would slip back into saying "we" rather than "I".

Rose claimed that her mothers tendency to make complicated flow charts and schedules for everything, even family holidays, was "a symptom of the need to feel in control of her life after the chaos of war" a phrase she had found in one of her text books; however Uncle Ron had laughed and claimed that plans and flow charts were just Hermione's way.

"Are you really Albus Dumbledore?" Al was suddenly suspicious remembering all his father's warnings.

"I am, but having already distrusted my word once, is there a question I can answer which will reassure you."

Security questions. Al remembered his parents' stories about having to ask security questions, usually embarrassing personal knowledge, which few people would know. At first Al could not think of a single question he could ask a teenage Dumbledore, but then he remembered Alberforth. Before he had died, aged 146, Alberforth used to occasionally come to Weasley family gatherings.

Al remembered one time Alberforth had gone swimming in the pond behind the Burrow and when he had taken off his shirt it had revealed a strange, almost green scar on his back. When questioned, he had launched into a long story about being gored by a vicious goat, which his brother had accidentally managed to enrage. Albus had been researching healing charms at school, but could not use his wand outside of Hogwarts without activating the Trace. Alberfoth had encouraged his brother to attempt to heal the wound wandlessly rather than explain the injury and the mischief that had caused it to their mother. Remarkably, Albus had managed to heal the would but something had gone wrong, leaving pale green scaring, which no one had ever been able to fix.

"Why does Alberforth have a green scar on his back?"

HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP.HP

Albus was slightly put out to hear his namesake ask about Alberforth. He had been sure that finding a child named after him was a sign that he had become a powerful and famous wizard. But if this Albus knew his brother it was more likely he was a descendant or a family friend.

Albus did not think he could be content with a future where he was just another wizard. He wanted to change the world.

Albus Dumbledore was born into the wizarding world at a time of great change, perhaps the biggest changes since the founding of Hogwarts.

Over the past 100 years, since what the muggles referred to as the 'industrial revolution' the muggle world had been transformed. Suddenly muggles were able to do much more than they had been able to a generation ago. The most significant of these changes for the wizarding world, was travel.

In generations past, many muggle-borns who had received a letter had been unable to travel to Hogwarts and therefore, unable to attend. Those that from families that could afford the cost of the week long trip by horse and carriage to one of the remotest parts of Scotland, were rarely able to return home and usually lost all contact with the muggle world.

But now with the invention of the steam engine, the journey could easily be made in a day. Which had lead to a huge increase in the number of muggle born children accepting their places at Hogwarts.

Given that most of them now could return to their families over Holidays, there were all far more likely to talk about muggle culture and technology.

When he was younger Albus had never thought much about how muggles lives were different to his, then after what happened to his sister and his father he had made it a policy to avoid muggles as much as possible.

However this year, as Head Boy, he had had to deal with many of the questions of the muggle born first years, and he was astonished to learn how much he didn't know. A Gramophone for instance, he knew it was a musical instrument of some kind, but he had been astonished to learn that it didn't require anyone to play it. Like a charmed harp, once you set it going it would play until the song ended.

Albus snapped himself out of his throughs about the relationship between the muggle and wizarding world. After all, he had gone to all this effort so the wouldn't be sitting around in his own time period thinking these same thoughts over and over again.

"Alberforth came by the scar after enraging a goat, the scar is green because I healed the wound wandlessly and, at the time, I did not have quite enough power to heal over the scaring and had to stop halfway through the healing process. I believe the green colour is caused by miniscule particles of magic which did not knit to form new skin cells, trapped between fully formed layers of skin."

"Alberforth told me it was your fault the goat charged him, but that's probably him just being him" Al had not really understood Albus' explanation of healing spells but was seriously impressed at the casual way he spoke about doing such powerful spells wandlessly. He had also not missed the way Albus had stressed the "at the time" part of the story, clearly Dumbledore did not want to admit to not being capable of anything now.

"I was hoping you might be able to assist me with some homework I have been assigned" Dumbledore announced, interrupting Al's musings.

After hearing the explanation of why Albus Dumbledore had travelled through time Al was even more convinced this must be him, surely no one else would be so mad.

"You travelled trough time to fine someone to help you with your Divination homework. That seems a bit extreme, why don't you just make it up like everyone else does?"

"I was bored, I thought it might be fun to use something other that guess work and a morbid imaginings to predict how I will die."

"That's your assignment, predicting your own death, wow, divination was even more depressing in your time than in mine"

"Before I appeared to you I noticed you talking with your sister about how you were named after me, can you tell me how I died?

"Wow, straight to the point there…OK the short answer is you died from the AK curse."

"Tell me the long answer then! why was I murdered? What happened to me?!" Albus didn't yell but there was a tension in this voice that made Al Potter think maybe his namesake wasn't as ready to hear the full story of his death as this attitude earlier had suggested.

"For starters I don't think it was truly a murder… it's hard to explain and even I don't know everything, it's not the sort of story my parents really told me" Al really didn't want to explain the curse that had been slowly killing Albus Dumbledore or the terrible task Dumbledore had given Severus Snape.

Truthfully, Al Potter didn't really know the exact circumstances of Dumbledore's death. And how could he explain it to Dumbledore, who at this point in time had never even heard of a death eater. But before he had a chace to explain, Dumbledore snapped at him again.

"Well I want to find someone who can! I didn't do all this work to get some woolly second hand story!"

"Calm down, calm down, you know we probably could find Dad, I mean Ron's always making jokes about how Dad only went back to Hogwarts so he could explore broom closets with Mum. It's only a matter of waiting really"

"Who is it you wish me to wait for?"

"Harry Potter, my Dad" Al said this in a tone that clearly expressed how dim Dumbledore was for not realising that he was talking about 'the Harry Potter.' But his faced dropped when he realised that Dumbledore was from at time period decades before anyone had ever heard of 'the boy who lived.'

Maybe the feeling of embarrassment was why he didn't check as carefully as he should of, when a boy with hair like his stumbled into the cupboard, pulling a red haired witch in after him.


End file.
